Active steps sought to check poaching

Dhenkanal: The death of Forest guard Prahallad Pradhan due to firing by the poachers has brought to the fore the lack of adequate firearms to deal with wildlife criminals. The people’s representatives have also urged the authorities to take active measures to strengthen forest intelligence for tracking down the poachers.

In the absence of wildlife crime detection, poachers have become active in the reserve forests. In 2021, a group of four to five poachers fired at forest officials in Hindol Kandhara reserve forest.

The forest officials were not adequately armed and fled the spot.

The poachers attacked a tusker and took away its two tusks. This incident had then shaken the forest administration. Parjanga MLA Bibhuti Bhusan Pradhan said he has urged the Forest and Environment Minister to adequately equip the forest staffers with firearms to deal with the armed poachers.

Divisional Forest Officer Sumit Kumar Kar said the State is planning to provide adequate firearms to the patrolling staff. “We are now motivating the ground staff,” he said.